146 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



mulch of coarse strawy manure was used thnnigli the 

 heat of the suuimer to good advantage. 



At the close of tlie season the results were as follows : 

 The live root-pruned trees were apparent!} as vigorous 

 as before; three of the unpruned trees showed the shock 

 of removal, l)ut held their leaves well into the fall and 

 new buds were made for next year, while two of the lat- 

 ter ones due to a certain extent to the condition of the 

 soil in which tiiey were planted, were in bad condition 

 and there is but small hope of saving either of them. 



Even with the loss of these two trees we will have a 

 somewhat mature quadrangle in a very short time in- 

 stead of waiting for the growth of young trees. 



Had the moving of these trees been started in .\i)ril. 

 better success might have lieen had as the trees were 

 develo])ing their leaves when the work was begun, and 

 before the last trees were moved they were practically in 

 full leaf. Root-pruning one year, or still better two 

 years, before moving, and early spring start and an ex- 

 perienced foreman should insure success in the moving 

 of large trees, and where (|uick effects are desired, it 

 surely pays. 



HOW TO CARE FOR CUT FLOWERS. 



Even when scarce, we do not like to be without 

 flowers of some kind, and therefore the methods of 

 treatment recommended for keeping the blossoms 

 fresh and l)eautiful and prolonging their lives to the 

 utmost limits should be known, writes Sara 1 'aimer in 

 The Queen. 



Unless they have <inly just Ijeen gathered, the ex- 

 treme ends of the stems siiould be cut oiif before they 

 are put into water, the newly-cut end, having its pores 

 and vessels open, l)eing in a better condition to absorb 

 the water necessary to prevent the flowers from drying 

 and withering, especially if they are to be put into a 

 warm room. 



If the stalks are at all woody the bark should f(ir the 

 same reason be stripped off for some distance from the 

 end, and all thick stems, whether woody or not, should 

 be split across in two directions, to open them up. It 

 is a mistake from the economic no less than from the 

 artistic point of view to crowd too many flowers into 

 bowl or vase, as the massing close together of the stems 

 promotes decay and causes drooping and withering of the 

 flower stems. 



Extremes of heat and cold are bad as a rule for any 

 cut flowers, and therefore, the daily fresh water for the 

 flowers, especially for the more delicate blossoms, 

 should be left in the room all night, to become of the 

 same temperature, and so be ready when the stale 

 water is poured away next morning, and any dead 

 leaves picked off. It is a good plan to cut a tiny piece 

 from the ends of the stems and wash them if they show 

 any signs of decay each day when changing the water, 

 but this is not necessary so often if some preservative 

 is put into the water each time. Powdered charcoal is 

 very good, keeping the water fresh and pure. A layer 

 should be put at the bottom of the vase and the flower- 

 stems stuck in it. 



Other preservatives recommended are carl>onate of 

 soda, saltpetre, nitrate of soda, camphor, a little of 

 either being dissolved in the water every time. Many 

 florists who have to take the utmost care of fragile 

 blossoms during the winter add about a teaspoonful of 

 gin to each jar of cut flowers to keep them fresh. 



\\ hen flowers have become withered they may often 

 he revived liy cutting the ends and i)hmging- them im- 

 mediately- intci absolutely boiling water. If they are 

 not too far gnne the wrinkled petals will begin to 

 smooth out in a few minutes, and fresliness be more or 

 less restored by the time the water is cold, when the 

 stems shoidd be cut again, any wetted part being en- 

 tirely removed, and the flowers put into fresh cold 

 water. A little gin or carbonate of soda in the hot 

 water often aids the freshening, especially in the case 

 of violets, which should be plunged up to the fl(jwers 

 in warm water before the bunches are untied. 



Generally speaking, colored flowers can be more 

 perfectly restored than white ones, which tend to be- 

 come yellow or else semi-trans])arent, and, as might be 

 expected, the thicker and more "fleshy" the petals the 

 better the chance of revival, which is possible even 

 though the flowers have been out of water for many 

 hours. 



To prevent large blossoms, e. g., tulips, from open- 

 ing too widely, thus losing some of their beauty and 

 tending to drop quickly, a little soft tissue paper may 

 be wrapped round each blossom at night and removed 

 next morning. The falling may often be retarded by 

 ilropping a little gum into the centre of each flower, a 

 device especially useful for those which are rather 

 full blown when plucked. 



THE GARLAND FLOWER. 

 (Daphne Cneorum.) 



It cannot be .said that this sweet-scented, hardy plant 

 is in the full sense of the word popular. In the gardens 

 of the wealthy it usually finds a place, but from villa and 

 moderate-sized gardens it is conspicuously absent. There 

 is good reason for this neglect. This Daphne is not so 

 easily pleased in the matter of soil as is the case with 

 the generality of hardy plants. In my natural soil it will 

 not live for any time, writes J. Cornhill in Gardeiiing 

 Illiislratcd. anil I, therefore, have to make, by means of 

 loam and some leaf-mould, a rooting medium. In spite 

 of this, it is necessary to replant at certain intervals, as 

 the natural staple will in time assert itself, and the 

 Daphne, thrusting its roots deeph' into the ground, gets 

 through the prepared soil into that which is not con- 

 genial. I once planted about a score of rather small 

 pieces, the result of dividing a couple of strong plants, 

 in about half a load of soil which I had prepared with 

 nutcli care. These plants throve amazingly and were a 

 perfect picture. I have never since had the same success, 

 |)robably because I have not taken the same pains. 



I am not decided as to the comparative merits of 

 autumn and spring planting. Much probably depends 

 on the riature of the soil, and not a little on situation. 

 With good drainage, such as on rockwork, autumn 

 planting would be preferable, otherwise March would 

 be the best time. Plants ]iut in on the level are apt 

 to suffer in a very wet winter. There is one thing 

 about spring planting that, should the weather he 

 dry, with cutting winds, the bark is apt to shrivel, with 

 the result that there is a check from which recovery is 

 slow, or the [jlant dies outright. The remedy is to pro- 

 tect slightly — a bough from which the leaves have fallen 

 is a good thing. In the case of those plants which did 

 so well I to])-dressed annually \yith a mi.xture of peat 

 and leaf-mould, which causes roots to issue from the base 

 of the stems. 



